Outside the sharpness of the edge, of course ...
What, for you, is the single most important thing which contributes to a truly great shave?
Is it the brush, the cream, the process? What?
X
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Outside the sharpness of the edge, of course ...
What, for you, is the single most important thing which contributes to a truly great shave?
Is it the brush, the cream, the process? What?
X
The Ritual
I think it's a combination of all factors leading to an outstanding results.
What they already said.
And, the thing is, a number of factors can foul an otherwise great shave:
insufficient preparation (shower, hot Ts)
worse than optimal lather / scent
dull blade
bad strop / bad stropping technique / insufficient stropping
stinky or otherwise inappropriate brush (e.g. scratchy, if you like them soft, floppy, if you prefer firm, etc.)
user error / inattention (can lead to cuts, nicks, burn, dropped razor ending who knows how:eek: )
lack of appropriate / favorite AS, balms, etc. products
And, for me - it's not only function but also aesthetics. I love a nice-looking razor with pretty scales, etc.
Now, can you imagine how bad a shave can actually be if several or all of these combine? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Before things get out of hand, guys .. That (Ilijay, izlat) doesn't answer the question I asked which was ... If you could pick the ONE thing which makes the biggest diference for you, what would it be? I'll give izlat 'aesthetic', but you've not answered at all Ilija. I'll underdstand if you can't. The reason I ask is because I'm not too sure myself. :o
X
dedication
Well, outside blade sharpness - technique!Quote:
Originally Posted by xman
with good technique and sharp blade you might actually counter pretty much everything else for a great shave... you'd need at least water, of course
Being completely in the present moment, fully aware and attentive to the now. Right at the very edge of life and death, what else matters?
X, that would be like asking which position is most important in basketball. There's no right answer and if one player took on a whole team, he'd have to play several different roles.
X,
I'd have to say it's the history. I might get a BBS shave on a regular basis and a really good shave every morning even when I have to rush through things to get to the office. However, my truely great shaves are when I have the time (and presence of mind) to feel the connection through time with all of the gentlemen that have gone before me. We share a skill that most of us did not develop without significant assistance from our predecessors (tip o' the hat Lynn!) and that skill required substantial effort...sometimes no small amout of blood, on our part. This feeling is particularly acute when I am using one of my Grandfathers razors, but also when using an obviously well used, well cared for vintage blade.
I'll shut up now,
Ed
For me, skill. I like the fact that a good shave requires a certain level of skill that only a minority of the population appreciate or possess. I think it's my elitist side coming through :p
James.
I don't think its really possible to answer this question because shaving with a straight is really the result of many factors and skills and they all add up to the experience. There is no one thing that is the key to this. Remember that to us this is more a hobby. If you asked a guy in 1890 this question he would probably say the days he doesn't have to shave are the best things about it.
Time. It doesn't have to be gobs, but it has to be enough. Then, everything else--prep, a good stropping, a calm hand, mental presence, skilled stretching--all just falls into place. Time.
"It's what the french call a certain... I don't know what"
For me, it is what I am doing. Forsaking the modern "shave stuff" to step back in time a bit, and enjoy a good, old fahioned shave. Doesn't matter if it is with a straight or a DE. The straight "ritual" takes it back a bit further, but it is using the brush, a great scented shaving cream or soap, and then the shave itself. Not trying to finish in 3 minutes, but taking my time and enjoying every step of the journey.
RT
For me it's the process. It's the whole "taking your time" and relaxing while I work for a good result. it's very much like making the sculpture I gave my wife for her B-day last year. It's focusing on one thing and one thing at a time whilst knowing that you're working towards something great. And although the results might not be as good as you hope every time just knowing that you worked your best and did something not everyone can do makes it the better.
Tradition.
For me, wet shaving is a link back to my father, who I used to stand and watch when I was a child. He was a miner, and used to wash at the kitchen sink as we didnt have hot running water. I can still smell his shaving soap now (Imperial Leather), almost 50 years later!
This is pretty close for me. What really appeals is that we've taken what has typically been a daily chore and turned it into a way to connect to a simpler - and I'd say better - quality of life. I'm trying to do this other activities of daily living.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Blue
Then when you throw in the tradition and the other cool aspects of Straight shaving...fuggedaboudit!!!.....:rolleyes:
Jordan
I'll recant on my previous picking and repeat myself once again: Getting a rusty piece of junk someone else doesn't want and turning it into a high-performance shaving instrument that I use on a regular basis. Even if I buy a new one, I bond with it by maintaining its sharpness and using it. My results correspond to the effort I put into it.
I enjoy the process, but by that I mean taking the time to pamper myself a bit, with fine shaving creams and aftershaves in a variety of scents, etc. It's time to relax and reflect before a hectic morning.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
I'll second that, Jimbo. In addition I would also describe the shaving experience as similar to acquiring a table. NO! I haven't been drinking! Let's say you need a table. You could run down to the nearest furniture store and buy one and cart it home. In all likelihood this mass produced object will more than adequately perform the way a table should- it provides a level surface on which to place things. Ho- Hum. Or... you could build a table from scratch. In the beginning your table might be uneven and the legs may not be the same length, you might need to place a Stephen King paperback under one leg to keep it level. But you can stand back with hands on hips and shout to the world - "I made it myself! I TOTALLY ROCK!!!!" Soon afterward your neighbors will have called the men in the white coats and you'll be taken away to a padded cell. But at least you made it yourself. So, for me, that's probably the biggest attraction of str8 shaving. That do it yourself aspect.
I have to lean toward the history part
as well. While the badger brushes
and wonderfully scented soaps and creams
definately add to the experience - I would
be perfectly fine using nothing more than
a Burma Shave Brush and William's Mug
Soap.
Terry
I like the fact that it transforms the mundane into the sublime. :)
Craft - I like the satisfaction of having the skills for using and maintaining a straight.
History - Some times the old ways are the best.
Process - Enjoyable.
Results - Kinda like store bought vs home grown tomatos. No comparison and worth the effort.
for me it's also the 'feeling attractive' part afterwards that a good shave with nice aftershave and cologne gives, just part of the whole package in a sense. :o
What attracts me most in the straight razors is the sort of authentic and timeless feel of quality they have to them. I guess in a sense I'm a sucker for retro.
from before I even start - a perspective I hopefully won't have much longer, with a razor & strop in the mail right now! :D
I see it in much the same way as when I decided to start driving stick a few years ago. I want to do something that far too much of the population cannot do. I want to learn to do it well, or at least as well as I will ever need to be able to. There's something about being in complete control, knowing that all the variables are there because YOU made them so - in the car's case, I change the oil, I bleed the brakes, I check tire pressure every few weeks, I know how the engine sounds when it's happy; I look forward to nailing correct use of the strop, generating the right lather, with a brush that feels good and soap that glides well... and down the road puzzling through that whole honing mystery. There's a bit of elitism in there, for sure... but there's also the satisfaction of having done everything within my power to eliminate all crutches and make sure the job is done right.
On a random note, the two most civil and helpful online forums I've ever seen are this one and the one I hang out on regarding my car. Coincidence? ;)
I would have to agree with that, I don't think I have ever seen anyone not act there age here.Quote:
On a random note, the two most civil and helpful online forums I've ever seen are this one and the one I hang out on regarding my car.
To answer the question I would say the learning and constant improving of a skill that not many care to, or are willing to devote the time to.
Most people I know would be afraid to try it or would not want to "bother" with the "hassle" of it all. I used to get more nicks from my cheap disposables than I now get from straights.
After learning proper prep here and using good soaps/creams I now get a better shave from using my cartridge razor than a straight. But I hardly use it, infact I use it when I am running late only. When I have to use it I am disappointed. It is easier to use and it gives me slightly better results but it doesn't have that challenge. Some day I will get a better shave from a straight. Also, I used to think there was no way I could use my left hand with a straight razor. Now I do it every day with no problem at all.
For me the best part is the history and the skill, standing there each morning doing something that very few other people will be doing (other than SRP'ers!).
Of course the fact that I get a far better shave, it's hugely enjoyable, it starts the day off better, it relaxes me, my skin feels great, I'm not bending over for Gillette shareholders, etc etc are all good reasons to do it too. :)
The interaction between man and tool.
What tells men from boys? The price of their toys.
pride in practicing an art.
For me its something that most people don't or more likely can't do and I can. It is also a very relaxing time for me. I take my 15-20 minutes that is just my time. Before I used to shave in the shower and was out the door before I had time to blink.
As others already pointed out, there are a lot of factors contributing to an outstanding shave.
For me its exactly these minutes where everything falls into perfect place, that makes a shave great. Perhaps this amounts to the single word "Skill" :)
-Axel-